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Design Choices and Tradeoffs for Mobile Ecologic Momentary Assessment Research
Thomas B. Woolf;
Attia Goheer;
Katherine Holzhauer;
Jonathan Martinez;
Janelle W. Coughlin;
Lindsay Martin;
Di Zhao;
Shanshan Song;
Yanif Ahmad;
Kostiantyn Sokolinskyi;
Tetyana Remayeva;
Jeanne M. Clark;
Wendy Bennett;
Harold Lehmann
ABSTRACT
Collecting data on daily habits across a population of individuals is challenging. Circadian ecological momentary assessment (cEMA) is a powerful frame for observing the impact of daily living on long-term health. In this paper we: 1) Describe the design and rationale for specifications of a mobile-based cEMA application (mobile App) to collect timing of eating and sleeping data, and 2) Compare cEMA and survey data as part of a 6-month observational cohort study assessing the association between timing of eating and sleeping and weight. The ultimate goal of this paper is to summarize our experience and lessons learned with the Daily24 mobile App and to highlight the pros and cons of this data collection modality. Our particular use case illustrates general trends for this type of App. Data collected through the mobile application captured more variability in eating windows than data collected through a one-time survey, though at a significant cost. Researchers should consider the potential uses of a mobile App beyond the initial data collection when deciding whether the time and monetary expenditure is advisable for their situation and goals.
Citation
Please cite as:
Woolf TB, Goheer A, Holzhauer K, Martinez J, Coughlin JW, Martin L, Zhao D, Song S, Ahmad Y, Sokolinskyi K, Remayeva T, Clark JM, Bennett W, Lehmann H
Development of a Mobile App for Ecological Momentary Assessment of Circadian Data: Design Considerations and Usability Testing